Dr. Blake Canty presented three of the district’s indicators of success—attendance, dropout rate and mobility—at the Chelsea Public Schools School Committee meeting on Jan. 2.

Attendance: Canty reported that cumulative district attendance is about 90% daily. Pre‑K through eighth grades are “in the 90th or higher percentile,” while ninth‑ and tenth‑grade attendance is lower (reported at the 81st percentile for ninth grade). The superintendent’s presentation described slight decreases in eleventh grade and a modest increase in twelfth grade.

Dropout rate: Canty reported that as of Oct. 1 the district had 1,827 students on the October 1 enrollment file and that 45 students had dropped out, which he said brought the dropout rate to 2.46%.

Mobility: Canty reported month‑by‑level in/out counts for December: at the ELC level 10 in and 11 out (net −1); elementary 28 in and 18 out (net +10); middle school 14 in and 10 out (net +4); high school 20 in and 5 in/15 out (net −5). Cumulatively for December the district had 72 students in and 54 out (net +18).

Why this matters

Attendance and mobility influence staffing, program planning and state accountability measures; the dropout figure is a key student‑success metric. Committee members did not engage in extended debate during the presentation; the data were accepted as the indicators report for the record.

Details and context

- Canty placed attendance in the context of a district priority to provide “rigorous and culturally relevant education every day.”
- The presenter said the district had focused on being “data savvy” and cited prior work reviewing characteristics of effective schools.
- The October 1 enrollment base used to calculate the dropout percentage was reported as 1,827 students in the cited remarks; the district later recorded overall enrollment of 6,143 students during the meeting (that larger number appeared in the personnel/enrollment update later in the agenda).

Provenance

This article is based on Dr. Blake Canty’s Indicators of Success presentation during the Jan. 2, 2025 Chelsea School Committee meeting.